Since 1985, the lawyers at Shapiro & Appleton have dedicated their practice to helping people when they need it most. Our clients are usually down and out after a serious accident, struggling financially, physically, and emotionally. We take pride in advocating for the downtrodden and injured and getting the financial restitution they are owed.

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We are very proud of the success we have had in obtaining large settlements, arbitration awards, judgments, and jury verdicts. Our success is based mainly on our experience in courtrooms across Virginia.

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By adapting and being familiar with not only Virginia and North Carolina Courts, but also Courts throughout the Eastern United States, our attorneys have developed a set of skills that can be incredibly useful in every sort of significant personal injury case.

The attorneys with our firm actively engage in continuing legal education seminars in the field of injury law. Our lawyers have also regularly delivered lectures to personal injury lawyers not only in Virginia but at national trial organizations.

To stay on the leading edge of personal injury law, all of the firm's attorneys are active in local, state, and national personal injury trial law organizations. We also retain the services of forensic animators, videographers, and computer specialists to produce compelling evidence that will persuade a jury to award maximum damages.

Three Deadly Sins for a Personal Injury Case - Info from Your Chesapeake Car Accident LawyersDo not commit these three deadly sins or your personal injury case could be in jeopardy.

Virginia Lawmakers Introduce Several Distracted Driving Bills

Virginia lawmakers have introduced several bills which they hope will help reduce the number of deadly distracted driving accidents. The bipartisan effort is a push to get every Virginia driver to put their phones away when they are behind the wheel of their vehicle. Last year, just in the state of Virginia alone, there were 175 people killed in distracted driving accidents. Almost 15,000 people were injured.

Multiple studies have shown how dangerous distracted driving is. In one Virginia Tech study, researchers determined that 80 percent of all car crashes are caused by the inattention of the driver during the three seconds right before the accident happens. Texting while driving increases a driver’s risk of being in a crash by 2,300 times. If the studies don’t convince people they need to pay attention to the roads and not their cell phones, the number of deaths distracted driving crashes cause should.

House Bill 1834

The passage of this bill would make it illegal to manually enter letters or text or select multiple icons on a handheld device while driving. The current law only forbids drivers from sending text messages or emails. This bill would extend that by making it illegal for drivers to check their social media accounts, such as Twitter and Facebook, or to view a video online. The bill would also create a new offense in the Code of Virginia called distracted driving. Under the current law, it is only illegal to do these things with a handheld device if the vehicle is moving, but this bill would also apply to vehicles stopped on the road. These activities would only be allowed if the vehicle was legally parked.

House Bill 2015

This bill would allow drivers who use the E-Z Pass electronic toll system to make a voluntary contribution to DRIVE SMART Virginia. This organization creates educational programs and campaigns promoting ways to make Virginia roadways safe.

House Bill 1763

This bill would issue special license plates promoting highway safety, including distracted driving awareness. Ten dollars from every plate sold would go to promote safe driving programs. Sponsors of the bill suggested that the plates could be designed by high school students.

Senate Bill 1339

This bill addresses criminal charges for drivers responsible for vehicle accidents caused by distracted driving in which a pedestrian or bicyclist is injured. If this bill passes, the driver would be charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor and, if found guilty, would have their license suspended.